Anything for You
by moonliteshdow
Summary: Post movie. Maleficent's words lead Diaval to curiosity... but will it lead to an overdue revelation for the duo? Maleval
1. Pretty Man

_I watched Maleficent for the first time in January and fell in love with it, it's such a brilliant movie. The one thing that annoyed me however, was the lack of conclusion for Maleficent and Diaval, who I felt would have made a perfect couple. Having read the fantastic fictions on here, I feel I have to contribute to the Maleval fandom - and so here we are for your enjoyment! Moonliteshdow_

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Anything For You

Diaval gazed into the water, his dark eyes glinting back from the pool surface.

He was confused.

Just hours ago had seen the coronation of their beloved hatchling, Aurora, as both Queen of the human realm and of the Moors. Maleficent had excused herself from the celebrations after a couple of hours, and he had of course, followed. Wherever his mistress went, Diaval would go too.

Maleficent had made a habit of changing the darkly clad Diaval into his original form whenever they travelled. Sometimes he wished that she wouldn't - he enjoyed walking by her side as a man. Today was no exception. He soared above, keeping a beady eye on the faerie. If he was a man, he would be sighing. He couldn't understand why, having just regained her wings, she didn't want to fly.

At length, she stopped at the surface of a still pool, and he landed on a nearby branch, wondering why they had stopped when they were still so far from her nest.

Without warning, Maleficent spread her wings, and turned her head to observe the sorely missed attachments, chin skimming her bare shoulder. She fluttered them gently, feeling the soft plumage with tentative fingers, as she bent over, watching her reflection in the pool.

Diaval almost fell from the tree, wings or no wings. She was beautiful.

He cawed gently, hopping forward onto a nearer branch before he really thought about what he was doing.

At this, she turned, cocking an eyebrow. He knew what was coming but had little time to prepare himself before he fell from the tree, a tangle of human legs and arms, his dark hair tousled with leaves and his black trousers covered with mud. Embarrassed at being caught staring, he brushed himself off, eyes on the floor as he muttered darkly, 'What did you do that for? I could have broken a wing...'

But his complaints quickly stumbled to a halt, breath hitching, as he caught her piercing gaze and swallowed. Why did he feel such a warm glow inside... and why was it magnified tenfold when she transformed him into a man?

'Arm,' Maleficent corrected.

'Fine, arm,' he chided back, 'and then where would you be without me?'

The faerie smiled, but then looked into the distance thoughtfully. 'Nowhere, my pretty man.'

Diaval's face dropped in shock. Did she just call him...? My, she must be in a good mood. At length he cleared his throat. 'Bird. I'm a bird.'

Maleficent smiled coyly, and moved away from the pool, continuing her walk and dragging her giant wings behind her as she left the clearing.

That had been half an hour ago now, and Diaval stared into the same pool, a myriad of feelings threatening to swallow him up. Being a man was more complex than being a raven, and it brought with it some terrible emotions he wished he had never had to experience... but several of these emotions, he was pretty sure he could no longer live without, and were the few that made his transformations worthwhile.

Diaval you see, had grown to know love in all its complexity.

He swallowed, choking back a moan as he remembered how his gut had flooded with warmth at Maleficent's words - he was a pretty man, now was he? Well he supposed he was a beautiful bird, so it stood to reason that his man form might be attractive, but he had never thought about it...

The "man" took off his shirt, staring into his reflection. He wanted to examine himself more closely. Prodding the deep scar in the centre of his pale chest, he tried to remember how he'd acquired it. He had so many scars from the long years...

'What _are_ you doing?' asked a familiar silky voice. Maleficent! He thought she'd returned to her nest...

Diaval scrambled to his feet, feeling a fire blaze in his cheeks, for he had grown bashful over his years of servitude in clothing. His beady eyes darted across the ground, scanning for his shirt. For some reason, he couldn't see it. Had it fallen in the water?

'Diaval?' she asked softly, seeking his gaze.

He continued to avert his eyes, dark hair falling into his face, and a blessing too for it hid part of his blush.

'Look at me,' she commanded.

The pair knew, though it was unspoken, that Diaval was no longer a servant, but he could not help but obey his "mistress". She had an aura he couldn't resist, for reasons beyond ex servitude that he was only too aware of. He looked up to see her playful smile.

'That's better,' she said, raising an eyebrow, as though questioning why he had taken so long to obey.

'Maleficent,' he nodded in acknowledgement, awaiting any favours she would ask of him.

'What are you doing?' she asked again, her striking eyes lingering on his bare torso.

Diaval's heart skipped a beat as he noted the direction of her gaze. 'Uh...'

'Well?' she snapped.

'Uh...' he began again, quickly, 'I was appraising myself.'

Maleficent raised another eyebrow, her lips curving. 'Whatever for?'

How could he explain that it was her compliments that had driven him to examine his man body?

He cleared his throat, hair falling into his eyes again. 'I cannot say.'

'Really?' The faerie continued to observe him in amusement, but this changed suddenly to concern. 'Are you hurt?'

Diaval actually chuckled without humour. The joke being he was hurt, but it wasn't physical pain. He decided to be half honest, fixing her with his dark eyes and gesturing to the centre of his chest. 'I... have an ache.'

The faerie inched closer, not understanding the hidden meaning in his words. 'Poor Diaval, let me help.'

Her words were teasing, but there was affection behind them - he had grown used to reading her in their long years of companionship.

'Oh... no... I don't think you'd want... to...'

His sentence slowed to a stop, as the faerie came close and placed her warm hand against his chest... against his _heart_.

'Huh,' he exhaled in wonder, watching her every movement. The moment was so sensual he was forgetting to breathe. His hammering heart began to betray him as he melted under her scrutiny and touch, unable to tear his gaze away from her golden irises. Raven's were attracted to striking things, after all... and he was painfully attracted to Maleficent. He cocked his head and swallowed.

'Is that any better my friend?'

'Much better,' he admitted in a deeper voice than usual.

'Your pulse is racing,' she observed, absently. Then, suddenly, her lips parted, and she stepped back, removing her hand.

Oh dear. He had to correct this - if she suspected his feelings, she would never want to see him again...

'Forgive me.'

'Forgive you?' she whispered.

He bowed his head in shame. He loved her, and he knew she could not love him. He didn't want to hurt her, and he knew that in Maleficent's mind, falling for her was the worst thing he could do. Her intelligent gaze scanned his dark, passionate eyes... he could see her mind working, putting two and two together as she saw his flushed cheeks... and remembered his pounding pulse beneath her fingers.

'I... I must get some sleep,' she murmured, her eyes fearful, 'please go back and make sure our Beastie is safe tonight.'

And just like that, she turned and left the clearing again. Diaval watched her leave, his watery dark eyes shining and his lips parted in sorrow.

When he could be sure she was gone, he let out a faltering breath. 'Anything for you, Maleficent.'

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_To be continued! Let me know what you think :)_


	2. Thoughts Through the Night

_Thanks to Maldorana, FrostSapphire, DancingKitKat, Greentwister14, AwesomeGizmo and two guests for your wonderful reviews! This chapter focuses on Diaval's thoughts - enjoy!_

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Thoughts Through the Night

Both Diaval and Maleficent knew that there wasn't much for Diaval to do in guarding Aurora. The real danger, her father Stefan, had been vanquished, and in any case Maleficent's powers protected the Moors such that the queen would be in no real danger tonight. Still, the raven man kept a close watch on the sleeping beauty. He smiled.

Aurora had made a pillow from a low seated mushroom, and lay in her innocent slumber with a small smile gracing her lips. Phillip, to Diaval's relief, was sleeping on the other side of the lake. Diaval twitched irritably. The Prince was a gentleman, so far as he had seen, but he still felt responsible for Aurora, in a way he knew Stefan never had. Or at least, that part of the King had died long ago, leaving the fatherly duties to the shapeshifting raven.

Diaval picked at the cords running through his shirt. He had found it in the pool after Maleficent's departure, sopping wet, and since she wasn't around to dry it magically, he had put it back on in the same condition.

Maleficent.

Oh, she was a force of nature. He closed his eyes, picturing her stunning face in front of him. The way she had raked her gaze over his chest... touched his heart... was too much for the poor raven man to bear. The faerie had never touched him before - not as a man, anyway. In his true form she was less guarded, stroking his soft feathers affectionately, or at least he liked to think, though he thought it might also be a form of comfort. When he was a man however, she made a point of avoiding contact. He knew why of course.

Stefan.

The piece of filth had broken her trust, stealing something so precious it didn't even bear thinking about, and though the faerie had back her magnificent wings, she may never trust another man as long as she lived. This was a crying shame, for Diaval, who was more than a mere man and would most certainly never hurt her, longed for her loving touch, and to give his in return.

In the darkness of his seat on a low hanging branch, Diaval allowed himself to remember Maleficent's touch, his own fingers leaving the shirt cords and sliding onto the skin of his chest as if in mimic of the moment.

Oh, how good it had felt. He closed his eyes, allowing the warm feeling to penetrate his body, and feeling himself react fully, something he had tried to suppress earlier, though he wasn't sure he had succeeded. How he wished he hadn't displayed so ardently his desire... it had chased her away, possibly forever. He hadn't even been trying! What was he supposed to do when she gave him the touch he so desperately desired in this form? He couldn't help his human urges... as a bird, her touch was nice, but merely comfort... as a man it was... evocative...

He shifted against the tree branch, sitting up straighter. It was no good dwelling on things that might never happen again, and might never be meant in the first place. Her face as she had realised his love wrenched his heart muscle...

Would she now cast him away? He, who had stayed by her side longer than a lover?

He still remembered with a heated blush how he had stood, naked and filthy on the edge of the farmer's crops that day sixteen years ago, his heart fluttering against her aura. He was now as he was then - drawn to her beauty and power like a moth to a flame.

With a sigh, Diaval opened his eyes.

He was deeply in love.

It was inevitable. He was a male, she was a female, both of a similar age. They spent all their time together raising a child. Did she not understand the connotations?

He swallowed. They were mates. Or at least, if he had his way, they would be.

As the night wore on, the last of the fireflies flittered from tree to tree, and the early birds began their song, Diaval knew that the young queen was safe. His black eyes drooped. Maleficent did not normally leave him a man at night, and the emotion was making him weary with sorrow. He wished to escape to his dreams.

He had kissed her once in a dream. It was wonderful. Perhaps he would dream it again...

When the sun came up, and the grass was wet with dew, Aurora found the man bird to be in a deep sleep against the old oaken tree branch, his handsome face betraying no sign of the nighttime suffering he'd endured.

Aurora's brow furrowed at the form he took, unusual for this time of day.

Where was Maleficent?


	3. By the Great Tree

_Thank you to my reviewers Greentwister14, DancingKitKat, overlordred, AwesomeGizmo, MissusGages and CaliyaLedesma12! Now we have a little girl talk between Aurora and Maleficent..._

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By the Great Tree

'Faerie Godmother?' called Aurora, below the Great Tree she knew her godmother to live.

Maleficent poked her head out from between the rustling, hanging branches and observed the girl with a smile she reserved only for her. The Great Faerie spread her enormous wings and flapped down in front of the Queen. 'Yes, Beastie, what is it?'

'Well, good morning!' Aurora's rosy cheeks beamed as she giggled.

'Good morning,' answered the faerie softly, amused at her goddaughter's cheerful nature. There was a time when her sunny disposition was more than a little out of place in the Moors, especially when there were creatures such as she and Diaval lurking around dark corners, but now, the Moors was a beautiful sun filled place again, and the girl made it more so.

'Godmother,' she said, taking on a more serious tone, 'I must ask you... where is Diaval?'

Maleficent's smile dropped, and she began walking in the opposite direction. 'Diaval? Why do you ask?'

The young Queen quickly skipped along behind her, lying, 'Well, I have not seen him since last night, and the two of you never part, not unless you send him away. I notice that he is not here. I do hope that he is alright...'

Aurora didn't like lying, but when she found Diaval to be a man so early in the morning, she was concerned that there might have been an upset. Aurora didn't like upset, it tore her happy heart.

Maleficent stopped abruptly, though Aurora could see her face was written with concern. 'Diaval is more than capable of taking care of himself.'

'I do not question it, he is a clever bird.'

Maleficent turned, and Aurora knew something was wrong, for the faerie's face was troubled, and was staring, unseeing at the hem of her dress.

The Queen frowned. 'Godmother, something is wrong. Please tell me, I can help?'

'You cannot help, Beastie. Not unless you can turn back the clock by sixteen years.'

Aurora nodded. 'You still regret the curse.'

Maleficent's piercing eyes shot upwards to meet the girl's. 'The curse? Oh yes, of course I still regret that but...'

She whispered, 'There is something else that happened at that time. A magic I made that is too late to reverse.'

Aurora's brow furrowed as she pondered the faerie's words...

'Diaval?' she blurted, incredulously, 'you regret transforming him?'

The faerie nodded with guilty eyes.

'But his life has been so much better with you - I know he was your servant, but you never really hurt him... he has lived much longer than he ever would have done as a raven... he has grown... and he has been simply wonderful to me... and to you... oh, Godmother you cannot regret him!'

'That is just it, Beastie. I fear he has grown to much.' Maleficent perched gracefully on a rock, and peered at Aurora from the corner of her eye. 'Specifically his heart.'

Aurora gasped and brought her hands to her face in delight. Did she mean...?

'Oh Godmother, your problem is not that Diaval's heart has grown,' she said, placing her hand on the seated faerie's shoulder. 'In fact, I suspect his has not changed for many years... your problem is that your heart has finally acknowledged it, and forgive me, but I think your heart has also grown...'

'You are mistaken.' Maleficent stood up, causing both the Queen's hand and face to fall. 'Yes, my heart has grown, but not in the way you suggest. You opened up my heart to love, and reminded me of who I was - someone I thought I lost long ago, but...'

'Yes I know you have found that part of yourself,' nodded Aurora, 'but Diaval is still searching for another part - he thinks he sees it sometimes but he is too kindly to chase in case he frightens you.'

Maleficent's cheeks tinged pink, and she whispered, 'He has told you this?'

'No of course not, I have guessed from the way he acts.'

'Then you have guessed wrongly, Beastie. Diaval cares for me as nothing more than a friend.'

'Godmother do not make it so! Diaval is your... he is -'

'Do not say it...'

'Fine, but I _will_ say that he is a loving male with the kindest nature of anyone I have met, and do not pretend that he is anything less than handsome. I truly believe he would do anything for you, and that includes hiding his desire lest you send him away. Whether you like it or not Godmother, that raven has lodged himself within your heart.'

'Do not speak such folly, child,' whispered the Great Faerie, but Aurora could see she had taken it all in.

'You will know,' persisted the Queen, 'how much you care for him when you contemplate him gone forever. Imagine that. Imagine if he never came back from one of his missions; if the farmers finally got him, what then?'

Maleficent faltered and clutched her chest as though pierced by an arrow. 'What?'

'There you see,' beamed Aurora, gesturing to her chest. 'He snuck in while you were not looking.'

The faerie however, looked most perturbed, and was ready it appeared, to voice something she had been secretly concerned about.

'Diaval, Beastie. I sent him to guard you last night and he didn't come back to me this morning... I must find him.'


	4. A Heart Returned

_Thank you once again to my wonderful reviewers - southernrebel96, yop, MissusGages, DancingKitKat, FrostSapphire, AwesomeGizmo. So glad you're enjoying it, it's spurring me on! :)_

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A Heart Returned

Maleficent's heart felt full - and it was agony. Emotion had come flooding back down the years with such sudden force, that she wondered how she was still flying with the weight of it.

The faerie was hovering above the great, green expanse of the moors like a dragonfly over a pond. Her immense, powerful wings beat out of time with her frantic heart as she scanned the trees and the skies for a distinctive vision of black.

Diaval. She had to find him.

He always came back. Why had he not come back? Aurora had simply voiced that which Maleficent had been worrying about all morning. Ever since the faerie had woken to find him absent, she had turned the previous night over in her mind...

A pounding heart beneath a smooth, firm chest... eyes dark and burning... cheeks stained a deep rose red...

She shook her head, irritably, as her own cheeks began to flush. The whole situation was impossible to begin with, and furthermore, it frightened her.

She would think on it no longer. She would find him and scold him, neglecting to impart that he had worried her sick for more than just one reason, and then she would smile secretively as he apologised in his submissive way, and they would carry on just as they had before.

Maleficent scanned in every direction, swooping here and there, behind rock and around tree, turning toward the castle and away from it, looking up into the blue, cornflower sky and down into the green lush of the forest below, but she could not see him.

And then she laughed like she had not laughed in many a year.

How foolish was she? Her Diaval was a man... a _man_ right now, not a bird... and had her mind not been telling her this all morning in the form of last night's memory?

She rolled her eyes and flew down beneath the boughs of the forest branches. She would continue her search on foot.

That raven would be the death of her, she thought as her feet touched the smooth grass, still wet with morning dew.

Of course she had not changed him back; she had left his side so fast and full of fear that it was the last thing on her mind. She hoped he was alright... he very rarely spent the night as a man... and why, when she had sent him to guard Aurora, was he not there when the girl awoke? Beastie had not seen him, which meant that he had either guarded her through the night and left when he knew her to be safe, or...

Her heart gave a strange stab again, as though it were using parts it neglected to use normally.

He had to be alright. He must be. He was. That he wasn't was unthinkable.

The faerie walked ever faster, scanning the woodland for his glistening black eyes and fetching, pale face... his sassy smile...

And the faster she walked, the more memories came flooding into her mind like a film in fast forward... a questioning, keen eyed raven landing on the stones of a ruined castle... a transformation of a beautiful, ill-fated bird into a handsome, powerful man, unabashedly bare and cautiously curious... a shapeshifter who followed her every action, even when he knew them to be morally questionable... a dark, observant figure on the sidelines, seeing all but saying nothing (though when he did it was to impart a bold observation or complaint - and he was usually right though she was loath to admit)... a bird who cared for a human child as though she were his own chick... a giant, protective firebreather of raven black... and a pair of dark eyes taking more than one fleeting glance at her lips, for yes, Maleficent had noticed, and chosen to ignore...

And yesterday, as the sun was setting over the magical Moors, he had stood by her side, close enough to touch... close enough to grasp his hand in hers.

Maleficent took a faltering breath.

Then there was last night. She knew he was watching her from the tree and had teased him deliberately. She had called him pretty - admitted she was nothing without him... and she found him, minutes later, his chest as bare as the day she transformed him, and not a day older... but sixteen years wiser, and many shades of red darker in the face. His behaviour was unusual. She had not seen him in anything less than a decent state since the day their pact was formed... perhaps her compliments on his person had driven him to "appraise himself" as he had put it.

Maleficent stared into the trees, unseeing. He had complained of an ache in the centre of his chest... oh, how had she not spotted that statement for its true meaning? She had been oblivious, and _touched_ him for the first time, not realising how much this would mean to him as a human.

This time, she couldn't control the vivid memory of his reaction from invading her mind. His pounding heart... his burning eyes... his stained cheeks...

Her own cheeks flushed, a twinge in her belly bringing into greater clarity that which had evaded her for so long.

Aurora was right. Her heart had grown, and what's more it seemed to be working furiously to find other ways in which to express itself... ways in which a certain loyal raven man seemed to sharply feature.

Suddenly breathless with burden, Maleficent saw the trees spin as she felt her knees buckle.

But she didn't hit the floor.

Strong arms embraced her falling frame, and she was staring up into the concerned gaze of Diaval.


	5. Happiness Deserved

_Once again, a big thank you to my awesome reviewers - A, yop, redlily, MissusGages, Greentwister14, AwesomeGizmo. I hope you will love the conclusion to the story, it's took me ages to get this one sorted, I've been so busy and I'm off on holiday in two days time but I wanted to get this finished for you guys before I go! That's love for you :D Moonliteshdow_

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Happiness Deserved

Diaval watched Maleficent for a while, unsure if he was welcome to intrude on her forest walk. She seemed agitated about something, but what he was at loss to explain. He observed as she turned this way and that, scanning the trees furiously with her golden eyes.

Truth be known, Diaval was not sure whether the faerie wanted to see him. He felt as though last night had somehow changed their chemistry, illuminating for the first time in bold colours that which had been previously unacknowledged.

When this morning, he awoke to find Aurora gone and remembered the events of the night, he decided to take a walk alone. He dare not return to Maleficent for fear of rejection.

Maleficent now paused in her tracks, clutching her heart. She looked as though she struggled for breath. He watched, alarm draining into his body as though he intuitively knew something bad was about to happen...

And then it did.

The faerie fainted, and Diaval sped from the cover of the trees to her side, catching the beauty with one arm beneath her wings and the other cradling her from the front.

'You were about to go with a bang just there, weren't you?' he muttered, absently fussing over her form as he adjusted his hold.

Within seconds however, he went still as a statue.

Those golden eyes were staring up into his.

There was a moment of stilled tension as the two froze in their pose of damsel and hero. Diaval's dark hair came loose from its usual slicked back style, and once again, he was unable to unlock his gaze from hers. That familiar feeling of unresolved chemistry was back...

'You're alright,' she said, breaking the silence.

She then realised her position and looked quite uncomfortable, her brow furrowing and her eyes darting at his supporting arms.

'Fit as a fiddle,' he muttered.

He could feel her writhing against him, trying to break free, but he was too mesmerised by the contact and the proximity to release her. He glanced longingly at her berry red lips. She was so close... maybe if he...

If he had been more attentive at this point, he would have noticed that Maleficent had stopped wriggling, and was scanning his face. Her brow unfurrowed and her lips curved.

'Then perhaps,' she said, 'you would kindly release me?'

Diaval was hearing her words as though from the other end of a tunnel.

'Hm?'

'Would you like to be a dog for the rest of the day?'

'Oh!' He set her gently to her feet, nodding sheepishly. 'My apologies. I was...'

Her eyebrow lifted.

He grimaced. 'Anyway. Lucky I was nearby. That could have been a nasty tumble.'

She inclined her head in gratitude, and began walking away into the trees.

Diaval stared for a moment, his glistening black eyes weighing up the situation, and then quickly followed the faerie.

They came at length to a darker, shaded section of the woods, where Maleficent stopped suddenly, her back to the raven.

'Maleficent?' he asked, wondering what was troubling her so, for he could sense there was something. Long, chestnut hair hung down her back, her incredible wings tucked tensely behind.

Diaval felt as though something bad was about to happen. She would cast him aside; tell him to leave forever.

He was to be surprised.

The faerie turned suddenly, walking him backwards into a tree. He felt the rough bark beneath his back, and knew he could go no further. Into what would she turn him this time? He winced, waiting for the familiar tingling that accompanied the transformations.

Instead, he gasped as he felt her smooth hand slip between the loose folds of his shirt and come to rest in exactly the place it had been the night before. This time, she stroked him gently, and he was unable to prevent the moan from escaping his throat.

The faerie stared into his black eyes with wonder.

'That ache, Diaval. Do you still have it?' she murmured, caressing his chest – the place where he had complained of pain yesterday.

'Always,' he groaned. Her touch was making him forget his promise not to frighten her with feelings...

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Maleficent's breath seemed to hitch. Then:

'Ravens mate for life do they not?'

Heavens above, why was she asking that?

'Why the sudden interest... y-yes,' he choked, as she continued her soft strokes. He tried desperately to control himself by gripping the rough bark of the tree behind, and added, biting his lip, 'for their sins.'

If Maleficent thought this an unusual choice of words, she didn't say. She simply made a small 'hm', and traced the scar in the centre of his chest. Her golden eyes were uncommonly warm as she whispered, 'So do faeries. Isn't that interesting...'

Diaval was unsure what to say or do, but his resolve was breaking with every caress of her fingers. If she carried on in this vain, he would lean forward and...

_'Pretty_ bird,' Maleficent said affectionately as she watched him, 'Beastie's nickname suits you even as a man. I wonder if she is right about other things, hm?'

'Uh...' He began, not understanding the question. He did however, understand the flattery, and he swallowed thickly.

'Lost for words, Diaval?' grinned the faerie. 'That is a first. Did you not hear me compliment you?'

Dark eyes blinking, he bowed his flushed face in submission. 'Forgive me, Maleficent. I thank you most kindly for-'

'Such politeness. Stop it.' Maleficent's grin became wider still. 'You know you are appealing to the eye, and you torment me with it.'

Diaval's head shot up. 'I do nothing of the sort. Certainly my true self is a vision to behold, but I assure you I was not aware of my beauty as a man until the very second you told me yesterday. I am not in the habit of alluring people through trickery.'

_Unlike some people_, he thought.

Maleficent nodded teasingly.

'And another thing,' the raven became further enraged by his former mistresses' amusement, 'my humble self pales into shadow besides the likes of you. How am I supposed to compete with your beauty?'

Maleficent's smile dropped.

'Ah!' Diaval nodded triumphantly. 'There, you don't like the truth when it's spoken in earnest.'

'You think me beautiful?'

Diaval swallowed again, casting his eyes to the floor. He therefore didn't catch the curve on her lips, but she began to speak a little softer and more seriously.

'Beastie paid me a visit this morning with, shall we say, words of wisdom. It was wisdom I already held in my head - my most secret thoughts and stirrings. Nevertheless, she made me realise for the first time how much my heart had grown. I have inflicted so much pain over the last sixteen years that I barely deserve any happiness, but...'

'You deserve every happiness, Maleficent,' he interrupted fervently, watching her unsure eyes. 'Surely you know you cannot say such things to me and expect agreement.'

White teeth gleamed from beyond passion red lips. 'Oh, Diaval.'

'What have I said that so amuses you this time?' He frowned, resisting the urge to grab her by the shoulders and shake the happiness into her.

'You misunderstand me. It is not because I find you amusing, though as a dog you-'

She stopped when she caught the look on his face. 'It is actually because your loyalty is unfailing, and you have stayed with me all these years, from the darkest hours of our first day, to our moment here beneath this tree. You have always been there for me, Diaval and I can scarcely hope that you will stay with me...'

'You know, I find it a tad insulting that you think I would fly off and leave you now,' he quipped, 'has my track record not proven my loyalty?'

'Hush you grumbling bird,' she scolded, but she looked at the floor, a sign of her vulnerability at this moment.

Diaval had never felt more a man than now, gazing down at the vulnerable woman. It made his heart stir, and he puffed out his chest, resembling closely his raven self.

'Mistress,' he said, using the old form of address, 'I will stay with you as I have always done. I have only one request - that you trust me. I am incapable of hurting your beautiful self, and if you only let me, I would show you... I wish you eternal joy; I have never seen another as deserving of happiness.'

How could he make her see she was everything... _everything_ to him?

Maleficent's gaze became half-lidded, and she placed a finger upon his lips, whispering, 'Ssh. I understand.'

'Do you?' he asked, his face hot as she removed her slender finger. 'I'm not sure...'

'Trust me, Diaval. You have already told me all I need to know. Not just with your words, but...'

She stepped much closer, in fact, as close as Diaval ever remembered being to the faerie. His human body reeled, overwhelmed. She glanced furtively up from under her lashes.

He swallowed as the stirrings in his gut mounted.

Then she kissed her hand, golden dust hovering around her fingertips. The fingers came to rest against his breast again, and his lips opened in a silent jolt of pleasure as the magical warmth passed through.

The poor tormented man bird.

The last affectionate gesture proved to be his undoing, and he became barely conscious of his actions. With a deep groan, he leant forward to capture her rose red lips in a gentle kiss.

At first, the two stood, locked in freeze frame. Diaval could feel tingling spread through every part of his human body. Motionless in the moment he stayed for a while, a warm fuzz clouding his brain, but then he felt the urge to move his lips against hers, and when he did... oh, how she trembled against him. It was silent, sensual, as one moved against the other, their eyes closed in ecstasy. She sighed into his mouth. Oh, it felt so good... he had wanted this for so long... the raven man moaned, and Maleficent delved deeper, seeking his tongue, sucking at his bottom lip. Now he groaned, his dark hair falling into his face. He was actually, really kissing her... and she was actually, really returning it. His hands were holding her, and she wasn't pushing him away. No, instead she continued to stroke him, her hand resting against his chest. It was all he'd ever wanted - to be touched by her in his man form, the way she stroked him as a raven, only more, and in a different way... he was hopelessly turned on. Eventually, he released her lips with gentle reluctance and they observed one another, panting. For once, Maleficent's eyes were as dark as his.

'Oh, Diaval,' she said, faintly as she glanced down at his gentle grip on her arms. 'I had suspected, but...'

'I _love_ you,' he said with a fierce passion, 'and I want to be with you always. I'm sorry...'

'I too am sorry,' she replied, seriously.

Diaval released her, and stepped backwards. She didn't love him. Of course she didn't – she was an all powerful faerie, and he a simple raven. And she was hurt...

Maleficent reached up and touched his face as she continued, 'I am sorry that you have suffered my cold heart these many years. But Diaval, my heart has grown warm, and it has pulled you inside. I don't think you were really outside at any point, but... you have more than earned a piece of my mended heart.'

He stepped forward again, scanning her golden eyes as his heart lit up like a flame. Was she saying...?

'True love, Diaval. You were right,' she murmured as she took his hand and pressed it against her smooth cheek.

'It exists.'

The raven man could barely contain his joy as he chuckled and leaned in to peck her lips. The faerie's eyes smiled as he pulled away, rasping, 'Well... it seems given my current form I must ask you something important in keeping with the customs of men...'

On one knee he dropped to the floor at her feet, and Maleficent's lips parted.

Diaval threw her a lopsided grin.

_End_


End file.
